“We’re all mad here”, The Cheshire Cat says to Alice in one of the most concise descriptions of the strange world down the rabbit hole. Unlike the world Alice left behind, "mad" isn't necessarily a bad thing. Here (and as you're reading), you should embrace a side of you that is quirky and unpredictable, and maybe when you get back to reality, you'll want to take a little of that with you. And, that’s just what I do all day, every day.
Writing Alice in Wonderland, one of my favourite literary works in the world, even Lewis Carroll could not have imagined the absolute fluffy wonderland we have tried to take with us last weekend at the handknitters guild show.
People who have known me for years recognise that I am, to say the least, driven. Driven by the desire to enable everybody who comes close with colourful mountains of fluff. I see a yarn and fibre show as an event, a celebration and a way to immerse yourself in a total fluffy and colour explosion of fun! I guess that drives me to produce wayyyyyyy more than I could possibly ever sell at an event🤣 but hey, you had the “wall of sound” of the sixties , why not have the “wall of Fluffy Colour” ?!
To recap: we had an amazing time at the show last weekend! It was awesome (see: all the superlatives are coming out to play 😜) to meet all my crafty friends again AND make new ones! Doing these kind of events are fun but also very, very intense! I’m not talking about being AT the show and enabling all the people who come and visit our stall. I am talking about the months and months of producing, dyeing, spinning, skeining, labelling, dyeing, dyeing and blending and carding and so, so much more… not to mention the gargantuan task of setting a space up to look like a fluffy Wonderland of Fluffy Colour in a mere two hours before the floodgates open and let all the people in to wool and yarn dive.
here is a video and some photos of the IxCHeL wonderland of Colour stall at the show:
Click on the YouTube Ixchelbunny channel here :
What does being at a big yarn and fibre event mean? On your feet for two days and then….packing everything up again in record time, ready to drive your whole magical Wonderland back home and…unpack, organise and add to the online shop.
I was super lucky : Paul has done all the stock taking and shop update stuff ( “doing at least six impossible things before breakfast” as is described in Alice in Wonderland), while I was tackling custom orders and getting straight back into the dye room getting the May clubs ready for shipping nxt week! Fingers crossed for nice, warmer and dry weather!!
i lost track what I did and didn’t tell you, so if I repeat myself I am sorry..lol. Here’s a teaser label of the May clubs by one of my fav artists Alphonse Mucha. THE quintessential look of the Art Nouveau movement, much lauded by his muse and patron the actor Sarah Bernhardt. Writing the whole background information for all the clubmembers to enjoy atm.
here’s a sneak peek of the label and the dyeing process of the yarns😉
Yes, eh, I re-use ice cream containers to prep some of my pigments 😜
I have been asked at the event if I will be going to the Bendigo show this year….in short: no.
I love to support fabulous organisers like the handknitters guild who do an absolutely fantastic job taking care of their stall holders (big shout out to Susan McDougall and ALL the volunteers at the show!!). The Bendigo show this year I cannot possibly be at because of so many reasons but mainly, it takes a LOT to prepare and invest and dye and do things like I want them to be. I guess I’m a bit OCD about the whole thing but support flows two ways: a show needs their stallholders and stallholders need a fabulous event that supports them too, especially when times are tough for everybody. I know my limits. There’s only so much I can do. So I choose to do what I can. No compromise. That means I cannot be everywhere at the same time or at once unless I invent a TARDIS or a mini me, and especially that second image would be just too frightening for the world 🤣😂 There will be weekly shop updates and more coming. I do thing about at least six impossible things before breakfast…so nothing is off the table I guess🤣
So, what’s up and NEW on tonight’s update?!?
so many things, like this and much, much more!
I have spun lots of fluffy yarns and made lots of scrumptious batts for you to feast your eyes on: there are pure angora yarns, vampire deer yarns, wallaby yarns and so, so much more!
Heres a peek into the fluffy fun stuff:
From batt to yarn…
all is available on the shop in the yarn and batt section.
If there are any colours that you see are either sold out or I haven’t listed: please let me know! Anything goes! If you would like a yarn in a particular colourway or colour: ask! I am very happy to talk you through your colour choices for your projects. It’s fun! And I am here you! I will gladly and safely guide you through the rabbit hole !
This weekend and the upcoming week is all about getting the May club dyed and ready to ship, so I will spend most of my time at the carder and dye room, plus labelling and writing. Never a dull moment here at the IxCHeL fibre farm!
I wish you a fabulous week filled with magical crafting!
big hugs
Charly
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